2016-17 Pastoral Coaching Network

Invest in your church’s greatest asset: YOU. Growing churches are led by growing pastors. Commit to intentional growth by joining one of Vision New England’s Pastoral Coaching Networks, a unique experience designed by New England pastors for New England pastors. Cohorts focus on the three key areas of a healthy church: Pastoral Leadership, Church Systems and Pastoral Spiritual Formation.NOTE: We are also offering an Advanced Coaching Network for those who already have a working knowledge of their church systems and are looking for tools to implement at a tactical level. For more information on this new Cohort, CLICK HERE to learn more.

Coaching in Structures and Systems

- Each participating church will undergo the Natural Church Development survey ($275 value)
- Develop a personalized system focused on Natural Church Development’s eight quality characteristics
- Create a stewardship system designed to cultivate a culture of generosity
- Build an intentional evangelism system focused on building disciple-making-disciples

Coaching in Pastoral Spiritual Formation Practices

- Discover spiritual formation practices applied in a pastoral context
- Develop a personal soul care plan so that you finish well
- Become a champion for personal soul care in your church

Here is How it Works

- Each Network will meet monthly for nine sessions throughout the year (October through June) in the same location
- Each Network meets on a consistent day of each month, 10:00am – 3:00pm (includes lunch)
- Cost is $999 (or 9 Payments of $111)
Includes one participant, additional participants are $15 per session
Up to two additional participants for only $15 each per month
Pay at once or over 9-monthsNOTE: Scholarships are available. When registering, request to be considered.

Each Participant Receives:

- 9 Learning Community Sessions
- a Natural Church Development (NCD) Survey for their church
- a NCD Findings Debrief for their leaders
- Lunch and materials for each session
- 2 free tickets to the 2017 GO Conference (must register by 9/5)

Networks are located in the following areas: Worcester, MA area (Meets the first Thursday of each month, starting November 3)Lifesong Church
65 Gilmore Drive
Sutton, MA REGISTRATION IS CURRENTLY CLOSEDWhite River Junction, VT region (Meets the second Thursday of each month, starting October 13)Riverbank Church
259 Holiday Drive
White River Junction, VTREGISTRATION IS CURRENTLY CLOSED

What's Covered During the Network

What is the role of pastoral leadership in a healthy church? This module will focus on deconstructing unhealthy thought patterns and practices related to pastoral leadership that have produced ineffective and overwhelmed pastors. We will reconstruct a biblical definition of pastoral leadership as well as introduce core strategies to create and sustain the personal growth of a healthy pastoral leader of the local church.

The Pastor as Visionary

You can't lead unless you know where you are going. The fundamental role of the pastor is to discover, define, and communicate clearly God's preferred future for your local church, it's vision. This module will focus on what it means to be a visionary leader and the strategies to discern and cast a compelling vision through out your local church.

The Pastor as Equipper

One of the most important roles the pastor plays is that of the "equipping" leader. Effective communication is one of the keys to equipping people with the knowledge necessary to fulfill the calling God has put on their lives. Along with communicating, providing appropriate tools and resources to equip the saints to do the work is at the core of the pastor as an equipping leader. In this module, we will explore the role that teaching, preaching, communication and resourcing play in equipping God's people for the work of the ministry.

The Pastor as Multiplier

Pastors can't do it alone, but so many men and women fail to multiply themselves. How can the pastor lead people into becoming more than they thought they could be? This module will introduce the core elements of delegation, empowering others, personal evangelism and learning to give up control.

Discover your Leadership Style

Not all leaders lead the same way. We all have personality strengths and weaknesses. Understanding this is fundamental to being an effective leader. This module will focus on the results of your "personality and strengths" assessment. We will see how to maximize individual strengths for leadership and spiritual growth.

Leading and Managing High Performance Teams

Closely connected to the idea of pastor-as-multiplier is pastor-as-team leader. God has more for your local church than you are able to do alone. This module will focus on how to create and lead spiritually-healthy, high performance teams.

Self Leadership Skills of a Growing Pastor (time and task management)

To lead others effectively, we must model personal leadership in the key areas of time and task management. In a world where juggling events, tasks, appointments and executive work never ceases, how can you develop a system to stay on top of everything? This module will give a practical model for getting your work organized and done.

Leading Necessary Change Effectively and Efficiently

Growth barriers are God's change orders. Unfortunately no one likes change. Growing churches must change to continually facilitate the work of God. This module will focus on understanding the key categories of "growth barriers" and effective principles to use to remove those barriers.

Leading Conflict Resolution Processes

While no one truly enjoys conflict, as a pastor, we need to be ready and able to deal with it effectively whenever it comes. Conflict handled correctly can lead to both needed reconciliation and deeper intimacy within the church. Some see conflict resolution as an event, but healthy conflict resolution is a process. This module will focus on the leadership skills that are necessary for a pastor to not only personally walk people through conflict, but also to equip your teams to walk through conflict as well.

Ministry can be a lonely place and those who choose to pursue ministry in isolation often experience catastrophe. Learning and growing in community creates a healthy balance in pastoral ministry. The Vision One coaching process will assist participants in discovering personal spiritual resources for renewal in our pastoral work and personal calling.

Spiritual Autobiography

A spiritual autobiography is a personal story of your own timeline. Writing it gives you a better perspective on your Christian journey. This conversation involves your experience of coming to
faith and conversion as well as highs and lows along the way. Telling your story is an important part of building relationships in Christian community.

The Gospel-Centered Life

A Gospel-centered life involves a clear understanding of just what it means to be in right relationship with God through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Christians are not just forgiven sinners but also enjoy the positional righteousness earned by Christ's death on the Cross. Believers then begin to grow as Christians through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel-centered individual lives in this daily reality as the Holy Spirit assures us of the reality of what God has done.

Character Vs. Gifting

Individuals with only great giftedness in ministry will ultimately collapse in the stress of the demands of Christian ministry. It is strength of character that sustains long-term ministry. The work of the Holy Spirit in the life of leaders is producing fruit: love, joy,peace... ministry built only on the giftedness of a leader are like a house built on the sand that will collapse in the storms of life.

Spiritual Practices

Christians throughout history have pursued spiritual exercises that have strengthened their walk with God. The most well known are prayer, Bible study and community life together. There are many other exercises to experiment with that will build up the believer.

Boundaries

The ability to sustain long-term ministry and all of its demands will require a strong measure of establishing boundaries, knowing your limits and respecting the limits of others. How do you serve others well without destroying your own marriage and family?

Servanthood

The call to Christian leadership is a call to be a servant. Jesus has given us the ultimate model of the servant. What qualities are you invited to demonstrate in your life of ministry that Jesus has demonstrated in His life? In our consumer culture, true servant leaders create a servant culture together.

Sabbath

The command to keep Sabbath is a reminder of God's gift in creation. The second time the command to keep Sabbath is given is a reminder of the deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Slaves never get a break, a day off or a vacation. Slaves have task masters. However, God has invited us into a personal relationship as His very own dear children.

Forgiveness and Confession

One of the passages in the book of James invites us to confess our sins to one another. This strategy for fighting sin in Christian relationships has brought reality and authenticity into the life of those who pursue ministry together. This may involve correcting one another and receiving correction. It has been called giving someone a "hunting license" to come after you when you need it.

Finishing Well

Christian ministry is often marred by those who failed to finish well. It is important to leave a legacy and to know how to finish well. This inability to know when to complete the assignment has destroyed many and the ministry they had been building. Finishing well is a celebration of service and a transition into the next season.

Structures and systems form the organizational infrastructures that save us time, energy, money and stress. The key is to find the balance between our responsibility in developing a healthy and effective organizational structure and the organic growth that comes from God. Each topic will focus on proven tactics and strategies to help you connect your organizational work with God's dream for your ministry. Each system connects with one of the 8 Quality Characteristics from the NCD survey.

Empowering Leadership System

How we identify, strengthen and release leaders who empower others.

Gift-Based Ministry System

How we support and equip people to discover and use of their spiritual gifts.

Passionate Spiritual Formation System

Our pathway for the development of passionate disciples capable of personal growth and committed to Christ and his Church.

Generous Stewardship System

How we instruct, inspire and provide opportunities for disciples to become generous and obedient stewards.

Effective Strategic System

How we define, plan, oversee and evaluate the effectiveness of our church.

Inspiring Worship Planning System

How we prepare, execute and evaluate inspiring, relevant and welcoming worship services.

Holistic Small Group System

How we fill and multiply small groups committed to loving relationships, biblical/spiritual insights and serving others.

Need-Oriented Evangelism System

How we equip compassionate disciples to engage in corporate servant-evangelism and personal disciple-making.

Connection System

How we create the atmosphere for loving relationships to flourish as people move from first-time guest to family member.